A suicide attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS ) group in the diplomatic district of Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, has caused multiple casualties.

The Afghan Health Ministry said at least three people killed and 15 were wounded in the October 31 blast in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, known as the "Green Zone," where many embassies and the head offices of major international organizations are located.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the explosion.

The attack was "a [suicide] mission using an explosive vest in the diplomatic Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul," the group's Amaq news agency said.

The Defense Ministry said the suicide bomber was on a motorcycle. "He made it through the first checkpoint but was stopped at the second checkpoint and detonated," Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said.

Ismail Kawosi, a spokesperson for the ministry, told RFE/RL that a woman was among the dead.

Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for Kabul police, said the suicide bomber was 12 or 13 years old.

The street in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the city is close to several foreign embassies, as well as an office and guesthouse of the Defense Ministry. The site of the explosion is some 500 meters from the American Embassy.

The target of the attack was not immediately known and no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The Taliban and Islamic State insurgents have stepped up their suicide attacks on Afghan security installations and mosques in recent weeks.

Several attacks occurred in or around Kabul this month, including one on a Shi'ite mosque in the city that killed more than 50 people. A separate attack on an army training facility killed at least 15 soldiers.

On May 31, a massive truck bomb ripped through the diplomatic district of Kabul near the German Embassy. Some 150 people were killed and more than 400 were wounded in that attack.